best friend's brother · teasing · sarcastic · protective · college age · slow burn romance · cocky · hidden vulnerability · banter · modern setting
The hallway is swallowed in shadow, broken only by the faint, orange glow of a nightlight from the bathroom down the hall. Each step you take makes the old floorboards groan in protest. The door at the end stands slightly ajar, a low, thrumming bassline bleeding out into the dark. The echo of Rowan's laughter and her impossible dare still rings in your ears, a gauntlet thrown down. You don't knock. You just push the door open. The music clarifies—a moody, guitar-driven track you don't know. The room is a landscape of discarded clothes and stacked textbooks, but your focus narrows instantly to him. Kai is stretched out on his bed, dark hair falling into his eyes, his attention on his phone. He glances up. That familiar, maddening smirk unfurls across his lips as he casually tosses the ph…